Beef Heart

[Audrey]

My local grocer (a large chain) ordered me in a single beef heart...It was like $1.19 a lb or something, can't remember for sure, but it was cheap.

This is my first time dealing with this. Do I just assume the heart is safe, has been kept refrigerated, etc.?

I put it in the freezer, because I didn't have time at the moment to clean and cut it. I am now thinking I shouldn't have put it in the freezer, because it will be too hard to clean and cut it now.

Do you all clean / cut up before freezing it?

Still learning.....
Audrey

[funkyfish]

i get mine at walmart in a 5 pound bag and i clean and grind up the same day i get it then i freeze.
half froozen meat is eaier to cut up. not to sure how long it take it to spoil

[Tad]

Audrey,
I always prepare the fresh beefheart first then freeze. However I think it would be safe to defrost, clean, trim, grind, and add your additives then refreeze with no real issues...

Also to save time, you may ask your local butcher at the grocery store to trim the heart to remove fat and vessels...Might cost a little bit more but will save you time in the long run....Im pretty lucky that I found a source of beefheart that comes sliced and trimmed. Made some the other night used my food processor and it was a snap :)

JMO,
Tad

[Audrey]

Tad...good idea, thanks, I will ask the butcher to trim and cut next time. It would be well worth a little more money to have that done for me. Where is your source for the trimmed/cut beef heart?

Yeah, I kind of thought after I put it in the freezer, "That was dumb". :(

Funky Fish, I would have never guessed that Wal Mart carried beef heart.
Where do you live?

[Tad]

Audrey,
In California we have a regional chain grocery store (where they carry BH cut and cleaned) called Raleys, NobHill and BelAir which are all in the same family owned cooperation...However at my local smalltown butchers market I have special ordered BH and had my butcher completely clean and trim at no additional cost..sometimes it just pays to make friends with the local butcher and sometimes just ask....Most will accomodate your request IMO..
I've also heard that WalMart superstores sometimes have trimmed and cleaned heart available in the meat section in shrinkwrapped trays.

Making BH can be a lot of fun actually :D My batch the other night was a small batch of BH...one mixed with Metro (Hex), one with Pipzine (dewormer) and the last batch with Naturose (red color enhancer).....all ground in a food processor, added some earthworm flakes and gelatin binder.

regards,
Tad

[Audrey]

Tad~ Guess I will check my area for a WalMart Superstore, plus ask my local supermarket butchers if they will trim and cut it for me. To be honest, I don't think I could cut and trim it...yuck! My husband will do it for me, though. Just looking at the thing grosed me out, LOL.

Do you always add meds and dewormers to your b.h. mix?

Yeah, I am looking forward to making my first batch of b.h. I still need to get a blender, though.

Audrey

[Tad]

Audrey,

I made up a small amount of BH with meds for that "Just in case" potential problem...vacuumed sealed for future use if needed....also use a food processor not a blender otherwise you get BH Juice :)

best of luck,
Tad

[Audrey]

Oh! Okay, that sounds like a good idea.

Problem is, I don't have extra $ right now for a food processor.
Have heard that a blender would work okay..... :confused: ?? What if I used a slow speed?

[Tad]

Audrey,
If the knifes on your blender are big and sharp enough and you use a slow speed to chop or grind it up..it could possibly work...I would think only small amounts of BH at a time....could be work intensive IMO...

IMO borrow the neighbors food processor and dont tell them what your doing with it.....If they ask Lie :D


regards,
Tad :)

[Howie_W]

Oh! Okay, that sounds like a good idea.

Problem is, I don't have extra $ right now for a food processor.
Have heard that a blender would work okay..... :confused: ?? What if I used a slow speed?

Hi Audrey,

I use the old fashioned steel hand grinders that clamp onto the edge of your counter. These can easily be found on ebay for $5-$10. They are easy to clean and store.

The beef heart is not hard to clean by yourself with a sharp knife...and ofcourse it's best to clean, chop, grind, and store in easy to cut shapes before freezing.


Howie

[Audrey]

Thanks, Howie. That is a good idea.
Do you know if the steel hand grinders are still available in stores?

Do you just grind all your ingredients with it, then stir/mix by hand?

Please keep in mind, I've never made b.h. mix before.

THANKS!
Audrey

[pugfiend]

Hi all,
I'm also preparing to make up my first batch of BH. What kind of nutrients or additives do I need to add?
Thanks :)

[Howie_W]

Thanks, Howie. That is a good idea.
Do you know if the steel hand grinders are still available in stores?

Do you just grind all your ingredients with it, then stir/mix by hand?

Please keep in mind, I've never made b.h. mix before.

THANKS!
Audrey

I'm sure there are plenty of places that still carry hand grinders. You could do a serach on-line, or even check with your local butcher for suggestions. Those items often pop-up at flea markets as well.

I use to put various ingredients in my beef heart. The problem is that the more ingredients you use, the messier your tank becomes...something that is best to avoid. I now feed straight beef heart. The only things added are either vitamins and occasionally garlic.

I prepare beef heart as follows;

1. Slice off all the fat.
2. Cut into aprox. 2"-3" size cubes.
3. Place into freezer long enough for cubes to begin to freeze and become more solid. Partially frozen meat is much easier to grind than when completely thawed.
4. Grind into hamburg sized bits.
4A. Option; If you decide to use a powdered vitamin additive you can toss the meat with the additive, and let it sit overnight in your fridge like a marinade.
5. Form the meat into patties or any shape that will be easy to cut while frozen.
6. Store in freezer in small size zip loc bags.

If you decide to use liquid vitamins are garlic, this can be added just prior to feeding. Cut up the frozen beef heart, and thaw in small cup of water. Drain the water and add liquid supplement. If adding garlic, use only freshly squeezed garlic, as the powdered form has no real benefit for the fish.


Howie

[pugfiend]

Is there a benefit to purchasing fresh beef heart and preparing yourself over buying the frozen beef heart sold at my LFS? The frozen beef heart from my LFS has vitamins and trace elements added already.

[Russ]

In the food reciepe section in the discus library Gabe Pasoda of Jack Wattley Discus uses veal heart instead of beefheart, is this better for the discus?

[Howie_W]

Is there a benefit to purchasing fresh beef heart and preparing yourself over buying the frozen beef heart sold at my LFS? The frozen beef heart from my LFS has vitamins and trace elements added already.

Yes. Fresh beef heart costs next to nothing to make. In addition, when you make it yourself you know exatly what's in it (what it looked like before it was prepared), and how fresh it is.


Howie

[Howie_W]

In the food reciepe section in the discus library Gabe Pasoda of Jack Wattley Discus uses veal heart instead of beefheart, is this better for the discus?


I don't think it's better for Discus, I think it's an alternative. Because it's coming from a calf, you might end-up paying a couple extra cents for it. Some peole like to use other food sources as well, such as swine or deer heart.


Howie

[Audrey]

Well good news! I talked to my sister over the weekend and she has an old food processor that she never uses so she is giving it to me!
It is an old, small one but hopefully it will work good enough to make a b.h. mixture.